Post and rail fitting



Feb. 25; 1969 DE Em 3,429,600

POST AND RAIL FITTING Filed June 29, 1967 INVENTOR. FRED BURMANN BY JOHN EDIE .F1 9 5 ORNEY United States Patent 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A construction for ships fittings such as post and rail members comprising a flange base member having a hole with a depending skirt formed therein receiving an upstanding post member which is fitted and fused to the skirt.

The present invention relates to a combined flange and rail post member.

The present invention is specifically directed to the construction of metal rail and post fittings for boats and ships. Such fittings, in addition to being rugged and long lasting, must be clean in construction and of attractive appearance. Heretofore, such fittings were formed of a fiat base plate or flange member, adapted for fastening to a rail or other support, and an upstanding post member welded on the outer surface of the fitting. While such construction resulted in a normally rugged device, it did not result in a particularly attractive device. At fault was the fact that the joint or seam between the two members was thus filled with upset metal or discolored and ragged filler. Attempts were made to hide or disguise the weld by polishing or plating but these expedients did not result in a stronger or more stable device and barely enhanced the beauty of the fitting.

We have found a construction which is more pleasing in appearance, cleaner in use and stronger in structural stability than any construction known and it is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide such a construction.

Summary In accordance with the present invention, we provide a metal fitting comprising a flange type base member having formed therein a hole with a depending peripheral skirt into which an upstanding member is fitted, the end of the post and the depending skirt being fused together to provide a homogeneous blending and uniting of the parts.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a rail-post fitting in which there is no visible weld or joint between flange and post member.

It is a further specific object of the present invention to provide a joint between a plate type flange member and an upstanding post member in which the metal flows together to form a homogeneous fusing of parts with fill material.

It is still another objective to provide a device which is pleasing in appearance.

These and other objects, as well as advantages, will be apparent from the following description and the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fitting made in accordance with the present invention, having a post in angular relationship to the flange member,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 of the device in which the post is normal to the flange and which also contains rope hook members,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through lines 44 of FIG. 3, and

3,429,600 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fittin shown in FIG. 3.

With reference to FIG. 1, the device of the present invention comprises a base plate 10 and an upstanding post 12. The post may be full length and complete or, as shown here, merely a post support for holding a vertical extension. The base plate 10 is formed by providing a flat disc with a depending skirt 14 along its entire periphery. The skirt 14 is of even length and has an edge 16 adapted to rest upon a generally flat support surface such as a ships rail. Scattered about the plate 10 adjacent its peripheral edges are a number of countersunk holes 18 adapted to receive nut or bolt fastening means. The body of the plate 10 is further provided with a large hole or bore 20 into which the post 12 is force fit by conforming the diameter or cross sectional configuration of the post 12 to that of the hole 20.

In forming the base plate 10, it is an essential element of the present invention that the post hole 20 is made by punching or otherwise forcibly creating the hole with a peripheral skirt or depending mass of material about the hole. In observing the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the hole 20 is formed in such a manner and has a depending skirt 22 about its entire periphery angularly set off to conform to the angle at which the post 12 is inserted in it so that the two will abut squarely and their ends coincide. The post hole skirt 22 is shorter than the support engaging skirt 14 so as not to interfere with the fastening of the device to the support.

This technique of construction provides the means by which the post 12 and flange 10 are joined. After the post 12 is set into the hole 20, the peripheral skirt 22 and the end of the post are consolidated so that the metal in these portions fuse into a single homogeneous mass as indicated at 24. Such consolidation may be accomplished by either are or torch welding, or by another suitable method. The parts are thus caused to take on the attributes of a single homogeneous integral structure without any of the obvious conventional weld line or filler material construction. Consequently, as will be observed the upper or visual surface of the device is free of any weld and the device merely appears to have a clean seam therein.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-5 is constructed in a similar manner to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, however, the rail post 12 is vertical to the base plate 10 and the post hole 20 is therefore also formed with a skirt 22 perpendicular to the face of the flange 10. Here also, the contiguous ends of the post hole skirt and post are fused and consolidated. In addition, this embodiment shows the adaptability of the present invention to various modifications such as the provision of the rope hooks or loops 26.

To accommodate the loops 26, the base plate is provided with another punched hole 28 having a depending skirt 30 formed exactly as the post hole 22. The depending skirt 30 is fused to the end of the loop in the same way as the post is fused to the post hole skirt and the upper end 32 of loop 26 is conveniently and simply inserted by force fit in a bore 34 in the post. The upper end 26 may, if desired, be spot welded. The bore 31 need not and preferably does not extend through the post 12 avoiding interference with its inside surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the post may be provided with a set screw 36 used to secure an elongated extension telescoped within the post 12. Of course, the post 12 may also be of the required length or it may even be topped by a horizontal rail member, all in the manner conventional in the art.

One of the interesting sidelights of the present invention is the ability to provide a very clean upper surface so that the fitting need not be, as henceforth, limited to a centered post. The strength of the present construction permits the post 12 to be placed in any position or angle, with respect to the flange, which design or functional criteria dictates. The ability to eccentrically mount the post also provides a greater degree of latitude for placing the fastening screw holes 18 and so, as seen in the drawings, they, too, may be placed unequally about the post at points of greatest stress or easiest access. This is a divided advantage, particularly with fittings having loops or angular posts which are subject to non-uniform stress and strain and limited access.

We have found that fittings made in accordance with the present invention are not only cleaner and more attractive but are stronger and more rugged in use. The combined factors of having the post set into a hole with a tightly surrounding depending skirt and the fusing of the post and skirt ends into one homogeneous mass creates a joint of vastly increased strength. Furthermore, since the fused portions are at the extremity of the skirt and post, the vibrational, twisting and deforming forces are better absorbed.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

4 What is claimed is: 1. A rail post fitting comprising a base having a hole therein including a depending peripheral skirt,

a post member conforming to said hole having one end inserted therein,

said post member and said skirt being fused together at their contiguous end portions,

said fitting including a loop member,

said loop member being inserted in a hole formed in said base plate,

said hole being defined by a depending skirt,

the ends of said skirt and said loop member being fused together.

2. The fitting according to claim 1,

wherein said post is disposed at an angle less than 90 with respect to said base plate.

3. The fitting according to claim 1,

in which the post member is eccentrically positioned in said base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,292,812 1/1919 Lachman 287-54 X 3,193,228 7/1965 Chion 28720.5 X

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner. WAYNE L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 285178, 286, 404 

